facebook
rss
twitter
  • About
    • Contact
    • Elementary & Secondary Education Department
    • Social Concerns Department
  • Legislative Review
  • Issues
    • Catholic Education
    • Faith and Politics
    • Health Care
    • Life and Dignity
    • Marriage and Family
    • Religious Liberty
    • Social Justice
  • Bishops’ Statements
    • En Español
  • Resources
    • Bulletin Inserts
    • Church Documents
    • PA Catholic Statistics
    • Related Sites
    • Send A Letter to The Editor
  • Subscribe
    • RSS Feeds
    • Via E-mail
  • Contact
  • Podcast

Join Day of Prayer and Fasting for Syria on September 7

September 04, 2013
by Blue
Cardinal Dolan, pope francis, syria, Syrian, war
Comments are off

Pope FrancisThis invitation comes straight from the Holy Father and Cardinal Dolan:

Statement of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Richard E. Pates
September 3, 2013

Pope Francis has called for a Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria, the Middle East, and the world to be held on September 7, 2013, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace. The Holy Father reminds us that “peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected” and that “all men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace.”

We are anguished by the terrible suffering of the Syrian people and again affirm the need for dialogue and negotiation to resolve this conflict that has wrought so much devastation. The use of chemical weapons is particularly abhorrent and we urgently pray for the victims of such atrocities and for their loved ones.  And we applaud the work done by those bringing humanitarian aid to people affected by this crisis and pray for their efforts to ease the suffering of our brothers and sisters.

As our nation’s leaders contemplate military action, it is particularly appropriate and urgent that we in the United States embrace the Holy Father’s call to pray and fast on September 7 for a peaceful end to the conflict in Syria and to violent conflicts everywhere. Pope Francis has exhorted “the international community to make every effort to promote clear proposals for peace, …a peace based on dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire Syrian people.”

Last Friday, our Conference of Bishops reaffirmed an earlier message of the Holy Father “that the path of dialogue and negotiation between all components of Syrian society, with the support of the international community, is the only option to put an end to the conflict.”  We urged “the United States to work with other governments to obtain a ceasefire, initiate serious negotiations, provide impartial and neutral humanitarian assistance, and encourage building an inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens, including Christians and other minorities.”

We ask all U.S. Catholics and people of goodwill to join us in witnessing to the hope we have in our hearts for peace for the Syrian people. May our prayers, fasting, and advocacy move our nation to promote a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria.  And may Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us and the people of Syria.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan
President
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Bishop Richard E. Pates
Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

 

About the Author
Social Share
  • google-share

News From Around PA

  • Polish family murdered by Nazis along with Jews they sheltered recalled on Holocaust Remembrance Day; family’s martyrdom paves way for beatification
  • Cathedral Basilica to hold Memorial Mass marking the one month anniversary of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
  • Humility is a hallmark of the Kingdom of God
  • Full Time Office Administrator -- Catholic Parish Cemeteries Association, West End
  • Underway: Trial of pro-life activist charged with violating federal FACE Act
  • SRCES Advancement Regional Coordinator , South Regional Catholic Elementary Schools
Click To Read More

Post Archives

Unable to load Tweets

Follow

Recent Posts

PCC Capitol Wrap for Friday, 1-27-23
Jan 27, 2023
PCC Capitol Wrap for Thursday, 1-26-23
Jan 26, 2023
PCC Capitol Wrap for Wednesday, 1-25-23
Jan 25, 2023

All Issues

  • Catholic Education
  • Faith and Politics
  • Health Care
  • Life and Dignity
  • Marriage and Family
  • Religious Liberty
  • Social Justice

banner

Sign up to join the Catholic Advocacy Network today!

CClogo© 2021 Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Bookmark and Share Site by Halibut Blue® | Login